The homeless suffer most on these cold winter nights.

The temperature right now in Bath, Maine is -4 degrees. Chance and I are fortunate tonight to have a warm bed and heat. There are about 650,000 people in the US who are homeless. I don’t know how many are here in the northeast or other places where the weather is so cold, but for those who are I hope they have something to keep them warm and alive.

Almost 40% of homeless people do not have a shelter or transitional housing. They are literally on the street or sleeping under railroad bridges or off somewhere in the woods. Many of these people have drug or alcohol abuse problems, mental illnesses, or the lack of will to live and care for themselves. Some are children. In most cases their families have disowned them or are punishing them for failing in some way and will not help.

Oddly enough I don’t remember a single moment during the presidential primaries or the national campaign when homelessness was even mentioned. In retrospect, it is shameful that we have forgotten these people. I will tell you that there is absolutely nothing more terrifying and emotionally crushing than not knowing where you are going to live or if you will ever find a place to call home again.

I implore you to look through your local newspaper to get the names of your local shelters and food pantries. If you can afford it, make a donation or offer to volunteer to help, even if it’s just to stop in and talk to these folks. They feel alone, ashamed, and worthless. Just by saying hello you might leave behind the spark that helps them make the next step to help themselves.

During this cold spell many of us make an extra effort to rescue animals that are at risk and I support that, but we also need to remember our fellow humans who could use some TLC right now.

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About Frank Marafiote

I have numerous interests (probably too many!) and try to write about them as much as I can. I publish several blogs and web sites and also write copy for other online publishers and businesses.
My writing regularly appears in the Hillary Clinton Quarterly, A Rake's Progress, and "Drive A Sailboat."
My great passion has always been flying -- I soloed when I was 16 and eventually became a licensed private pilot. For medical reasons I can't fly real airplanes anymore but I do fly online for a virtual airline called the "Flying Tigers Group." Most of my flights are with VATSIM, which provides real-time air traffic control services. I get to live out my fantasy as a Boeing 737 pilot!
For most of the past 20 years, I was the owner of a marketing consulting firm, Emerge Communications. I recently retired from consulting and closed Emerge to "pursue other opportunities."
To paraphrase the brilliant writer, Grace Paley, most of this is true because I wrote it.